Assassin's Creed, Apprentice: My Saving Grace
by Wild Mustang of Freedom
Summary: A one-shot missing scene from "Assassin's Creed: Apprentice," written for a new artwork given to me by Mismatch-Lover. Get your tissues out, boys and girls!


Assassin's Creed Apprentice: My Saving Grace

Disclaimer: I don't own anything connected to the greatest video-game series ever: Assassin's Creed!

Chapter 1

I paced Mario's office, swearing intermittently.

We had just recieved word that Ezio had gotten injured, and the Apple of Eden had been stolen. A short time later, it reappeared in the hands of some idiot monk in Florence.

I could not believe it, but it was true.

Ezio never got hurt, but he had paid the price for letting down his guard, a rare mistake of my future brother-in-law. That wasn't the worst of it, however.

"How can the Apple have appeared in _Firenze_ so quickly? It's only been a few days!" I said, as Mario finished reading the letter out loud.

Mario shook his head. "I don't know, but that is of little concern to us at this time."

I nodded. "That is true. What do we do now?"

Mario laid a hand on my shoulder. "Do what you can to get an eye on the target, and see if you can get the Apple back."

* * *

As I prepared to leave, Claudia walked into my room.

She wore a crimson long-sleeved dress with gold trappings, her dark hair loosened from her usual hair-net that she wore. She looked stunning, but that was nothing new.

"I don't want you to go. I've been hearing that it might be bad there." She said, and I approached her, my right hand resting on her cheek, the other wrapping around her waist.

Her hands grasped my right hand in return, and I kissed her cherry-red lips.

"I don't want to go either, darlin'. But if I don't do something, who will?"

She sighed. "Ezio said that as well, and look where that got him."

I winced. She had a valid point.

"I will always come back, _bella._ Nothing will ever break us apart, not even death. I will always come back, come hell or high water."

She nodded. "I'll hold you to that, _bello_. Now let me...just one last time?"

I smiled. "There will never be a last time, Claudia Auditore."

Our lips crashed together, and we sank onto my bed, making out, drowning in each other's taste and presense.

* * *

A few hours later, I rode into the streets of Florence.

No guards, which was surprising, considering that every single citizen seemed out of their minds.

They were chanting and screaming, burning pictures, artwork, anything that appeared to be beautiful.

That damned Apple was taking its affect on the whole _fucking_ city!

I rode through the crowd, trying to get to Paola's bordello, but when I got there, I realized that it was boarded up.

I looked around, angry and disgusted by the sheer animal-like actions of the people around me. Burning, rioting, looting, whatever.

I seemed to be the only sane man within miles.

I turned, hearing a scream to my left.

A couple of men were trying to beat a young woman to death, shouting at her for her supposed whoreness.

I dismounted, drawing my sword.

Controlled by the Apple of not, those men were going to die.

"Hey, assholes!"

They turned in surprise, as I stalked towards them.

"Did I catch you fuckers at a bad time?"

* * *

I made short work of the would-be murderers, and carried the young woman into a nearby alley.

I set her down gently, resting her head in my lap.

To my shock and horror, I realized that it was Ezio's old flame, Christina Vespucci.

"Oh, God, Christina!" I gasped, and she smiled. "_Grazie_, Arthur." Then she coughed as blood seeped from her mouth.

"Hold on, Chrissie. I'll get you a doctor, and you're going to be just fine." I said, using the nickname I had once given her long ago.

"No...Arthur...I don't think I am."

I shook my head, stroking her hair. "Don't be silly. Of course you will. Just stay with me, sweetie. Hold on for Ezio." She smiled. "Arthur, don't you know I have always been with him, and always will be?"

I bit my lip, inwardly furious that this was happening. Not this girl, it couldn't be this poor girl.

"_DOCTORE! DOCTORE_!" I roared, then stopped as she touched my hand that was holding her up, placing a necklace into my hand.

"I wish he and I could have had...a second chance." With that, Christina Vespucci died in my arms.

I put the necklace into my pouch, and sat still for a moment, then placed her body into a nearby bed of flowers, making sure none of those madmen outside would touch her by covering her body with said flowers.

"Rest in Peace, Christina." I said, and sat against the wall for a moment as I blinked back tears.

This wasn't right.

Wasn't there any justice in this miserable world?

"Get up, Arthur. Get the _fuck_ up!" I snarled to myself, and after a moment, my body complied.

If I had ever felt anger, it was like a drop in the ocean compared to this, and it got worse as I saw the Auditore Villa being ransacked closeby.

I sprinted foward, snarling, wanting to spill blood. To hell with the consequences!

"HEY! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY HOUSE!"

I slashed open one man's neck as he came at me, then beheaded another. Terrified, the crowd backed off.

"Not so easy now, is it, you animals?! We put our whole lives on the line for all of you sheeple, and this is what you give to us, huh?! Get out of here!"

The crowd of people, mostly men, dispersed like vultures do when realizing that their prey was still alive.

* * *

I spent the whole afternoon trying to look for the monk who had taken the Apple.

History named him as Savanarola, a little-known monk who was able to practically rid the city of Florence of everything beautiful, because he thought it to be sinful.

I was unable to get to his convent, even if I had hacked my way through the crowds. It was tempting to do so, but I would not become an animal for these people.

As I rode away from Florence, exhausted and battered, I wondered why I was fighting to help these people stay free from the Templars.

If this was humanity, then let it die, these pathetic sheep!

* * *

I stood in front of Mario's desk, my head bowed. "I was unable to get to the bastard. He hid in his convent, letting the people do his dirty work." I said, trying to keep my anger in check.

Mario sighed, and shrugged. "Another day, Arthur. That is not the only thing that is bothering you, it seems."

I swept off my hood, my anger boiling over. "Bothering me? I will tell you what's bothering me!"

I gestured out the door into the night.

"We Assassins work in the dark to serve the Light, right? I was in _Firenze_, and do you know what I saw, looking into the people's eyes? Animals, that's what! _Fucking_ animals! Those people we are sworn to save and protect, they repay all our sacrifices with this!"

I shook my head in disgust. "They don't care about what our Order has been through, and I see no thanks coming from them, so why should I fight and die for them?!"

I finished by kicking a nearby stool across the room, then stormed out of the room.

Mario watched him leave, saddened. He had never seen the young man, who was known for his composure and his dry wit, so frustrated and broken.

He sat heavily into his chair, and stared out into the night, hoping that the young foreigner would not stay broken.

After all, Arthur Katarn, soon to be Auditore, was his best Apprentice, other then Ezio.

* * *

I sat on my bed, at the medallion or necklace in my hand.

I heard a rustle of skirts, and saw Maria and Claudia in the doorway. "This was Christina's. Ezio gave it to her, I think. She's dead, killed by those monsters. I was able to fend off those butchers from our Villa." I said mechanically.

Claudia bit her lip at the raw pain in his eyes, and Maria entered the room, and sat beside me.

Claudia sat on my other side, leaning her head against my shoulder.

The last of my composure vanished, and the necklace fell to the floor as I burst into tears. "I can't do it anymore, I can't help them..."

I couldn't finish the sentence, as both women leaned against me, offering the solace and comfort that I sorely needed at that moment.

* * *

Looking back, I would have quit the Assassins then and there, walking away from it all, if it hadn't for these two wonderful women.

My future wife and future mother-in-law, my saints, my angels...My Saving Grace.

* * *

**And there you have it. These past few days, I've been nursing a broken heart, watching as the Israelis and the Palestinians fight and kill each other. So yeah, I feel pretty angsty at the moment, but Mismatch-Lover's picture put a smile on my face, and I had to reward her somehow. Read and review!**


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